Huge Victory for Grassroots Opponents of Costly, Dangerous Industrial Expansion in Rockland County
At the Orangetown Planning Board meeting last night, the board voted unanimously to require the completion of an environmental impact statement on the proposed Phase 2 expansion of the DataBank hyperscale data center complex in the town. The requirement has the practical effect of halting the project indefinitely.
At the board meeting, the vote on the application triggered a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), in compliance with SEQRA (State Environmental Quality Review Act). This decision takes into account the significant environmental impact that a project of this size would have next to Lake Tappan. Residents are pleased with the Town Planning Board’s decision to listen to their concerns and require a full study of the environmental impact of this project. This decision comes after months of large-scale public opposition to the project.
Before the meeting, local elected officials and organizations including Food & Water Watch, Indivisible Rockland, the Data Center Coalition and Sierra Club joined more than 100 local residents gathered outside Orangetown Town Hall to demand the Planning Board reject DataBank’s application, citing concerns over egregious water consumption, skyrocketing energy costs, painful noise levels, and misuse of public funds. [Video of the rally can be accessed here.]
“It is clear that opposition to data centers is overwhelming, and for good reasons. The explosive growth of AI data centers is one of the worst environmental and affordability threats facing New York and the nation,” said Melissa Hoffmann, an organizer with Food & Water Watch. “The people of Orangetown have spoken and the Planning Board has listened. Now, the Planning Board must ensure the scope of the environmental impact statement is comprehensive and doesn’t just check the boxes.”
“We thank the Orangetown Planning Board for their diligent work in reviewing this application and their unanimous support for a full Environmental Impact Study. We are confident that they will ultimately decline this high risk project next to Lake Tappan reservoir as has already been determined by the Rockland County Planning Board,” said Dave Rosen, of the Data Center Crisis Coalition.
“I’m here representing Sierra Club, with over 500 members and supporters in Orangetown,” said Peggy Kurtz of Rockland Sierra Club. “Amoung our concerns is Lake Tappen. It just defies common sense to site a data center – that includes back up fuel tanks and electrical equipment – on a public drinking water reservoir. The possibility of contamination of Lake Tappan, which serves northern NJ communities, from leaking tanks or from an electrical fire is very real. It is very ironic that at the same time, the Town recently completed a study – with state funding – about source water protection. Our shared water resources are just too precious to risk for this project.”
The livestream of the event can be found on the Food & Water Watch – New York Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/foodandwaterwatchNY/videos/2486381531837746
